1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of washing devices for clothes and the like and, in particular, to a manually operated washing device.
2. Description of Related Art
The automatic washing machine is universally accepted as the most practical home clothes cleaning device. However they are expensive and require electrical power. This rules out their use in areas where there is no readily available electrical power, which is particularly the case in the poorer third world countries. What makes these powered washing machines effective is the cleaning action of the agitation system. In the top loading machines, the back and forth rotation of a finned central column or its up and down motion circulates the soapy water through the soiled clothes removing the dirt and/or stains. In the front loading machines, it is the tumbling action caused by the fins mounted within the drum.
Many manually operated devices for washing clothes and the like are also effective, for example, the corrugated washing board. However, its use requires a great deal effort. An individual must remove the wet clothes from the tub and xe2x80x9crubxe2x80x9d the clothes across the corrugated washing surface. Some what less effective are the numerous manually operated rotating drum type devices where the clothes, soap and water are added to the drum and a hand crank is used to rotate it. Both vertical and horizontal rotating drums are available. However, these are generally limited in size for use on tabletops. If they become much larger in size, it becomes difficult to crank the drum. In addition, they also become difficult to empty of water unless placed in a sink. Finally, they have not proved popular because they are prone to leaking.
Thus, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a manually operated device for washing clothes and the like.
It is another primary object of the invention to provide a manually operated device for washing clothes and the like that provides agitation action.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a manually operated device for washing clothes and the like that is simple to manufacture.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a manually operated device for washing clothes and the like that is simple to operate.
The invention is a manually operated device for washing clothes and the like. In detail, the invention includes a rod shaped handle having first and second ends. A first hollow cone shaped member has a truncated top end attached to the first end of the rod and an open bottom end. This first cone shaped member includes a plurality of holes about its periphery in proximity to the top end thereof, with the plurality of holes having a first total cross-sectional area. An inverted cup shaped member is provided having a closed top end and an open bottom end mounted within the hollow cone shaped member such that the top end is in contact with the interior wall of the hollow cone shaped member forming a first interior chamber. The closed top end includes at least one hole therethrough with a total second cross-sectional area greater than the first cross-sectional area of the plurality of holes in the first hollow cone shaped member.
A second hollow cone shaped member is provided having a truncated first end with a hole therethrough and a second end in contact with and joined to the closed top end of the inverted cup shaped member thus forming a second chamber therebetween. The second hollow cone shaped member has a corrugated surface between the top and bottom ends thereof. The second hollow cone shaped member preferably includes flow passages between the corrugations on the second end thereof in communication with the second chamber. Preferably, a third cone shaped member having a truncated top end is attached to the truncated first end of the first cone shaped member and an open bottom end extending beyond the holes in the first cone shaped member in a spaced relationship thereto.
With a large pot, tub or sink filled with water and dirty washables such as clothes and the like, the device is used in the following manner. The device is grabbed by the second end of the rod and inserted into the water until the first cone shaped member is partially immersed, preferably over a washable item. By pushing the rod down in this manner, water is forced downward through the washables. Simultaneously, water is pushed up through the second hollow cone shaped member and into the second chamber, through the at least one second holes into the first chamber and out the holes in the first cone shaped member. When the rod is pulled upward, a vacuum/suction effect is created, which again sends a rush of water up through the washables. Repeated strokes soon clean the washables.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.